Rock/Popular

Whitney Houston: "Love" (Arista)

Whitney Houston may be the first pop star to tell us "the events and characters depicted in this album are fictitious and any similarity to actual persons living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental", but does anyone really care if the songs relate to Whitney and Bobby Brown? Surely fans want songs that sing of their own feelings? This album is teeming with such tracks, apart from songs such as I Learned From the Best, a hollow creation from songwriter Diane Warren, who disgraces this album on three occasions. But Whitney's singing almost gives substance to such fluff. As do the producing skills of Babyface. And on grittier cuts such as It's Not Right But It's Okay and If I Told you That, she's singing from the street again. Muted Houston, maybe, but mostly magnificent.

By Joe Jackson

Seal: "Human Being" (Warner Bros)

With an Ivor Novello for Crazy and a Grammy for Kiss from a Rose under his belt, Seal has a firm grip on his winning formula, but his new album takes few risks and stays in safe, acoustic-tinged ground. It's hard to decide if Seal is auditioning for the next incarnation of Yes, or trying to beat The Lighthouse Family at their own lightweight game, but Human Being falls awkwardly between introspective folk-rock and smooth, almost slippery r'n'b. Unwieldy, 12-string chord progressions alternate with downbeat, dejected-sounding jazz, with Seal's voice sounding slightly pained but not Mr Pitiful enough to be truly soulful. His current single, Human Being, clones Seal's pastoral hit-making style, as do Just Like You Said, Lost my Faith and When a Man is Wrong, but it feels as if we're just going over old, already-turned ground here.

By Kevin Courtney

Super Furry Animals: "Out Spaced - Selected B-Sides & Rarities 96-98" (Creation)

Forget those moaning, middle-aged trade unionists in bowling shirts who go by the name of Manic Street Preachers. This is the real Welsh deal, a bunch of space-heads who blend the weirdness of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, the prog-rock virtuosity of Man and the seaside cabaret of Max Wall. This album of hard-to-get and even harder to understand tunes won't dent the sales of the Oasis b-sides album, but if you listen to it loud enough, it'll leave a boot-print in your brain; Welsh language efforts such as Dim Bendith, Fix Idris and Pam V will confuse you more than an Alanis Morissette lyric, but songs such as The Man Don't Give a F. . k, Smokin' and the totally naff-tastic Don't be a Fool Billy will keep you smiling long after the drugs have worn off. Now, if you don't mind, I'd better get back to that trade union meeting.

By Kevin Courtney